West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on 13 April stated that 'no one has the power to change history.'

Her remark was apparently in response to the recent removal of content from NCERT textbooks during a 'rationalisation exercise.'

CM Banerjee made this statement during the inauguration of the Dhandhanya Auditorium in Kolkata's Alipore locality.

‘We will not omit the Taj Mahal suddenly. We will not suddenly delete (mentions of) Victoria. History is history. No one has the power to change it. India’s history is its wealth. All religions of India are the wealth of Bengal. If Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Rabindranath and Nazrul were not there, it would not have happened,” she said.

In an effort to alleviate the impact of Covid-19 on student learning, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) had rationalised textbooks for all subjects last year to reduce curriculum load.

But, due to a shortage of time, the rationalised content was not reprinted in the previous academic year. The new books featuring the rationalised content have now become available for the new academic year 2023-24.

However, certain deletions have been made in this newer version, including mentions of the Gujarat riots, Mughal history, and Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, among other topics. These deletions have drawn a sharp response from opposition parties.

Banerjee also criticised BJP-led Centre for delaying state's MGNREGA and PMAY funds release.

“I will not go to New Delhi to beg for these dues. I had rather beg for the money from the mothers and sisters of this state. They will readily give the money,” CM Banerjee said.